


Danny's Back and Better (?) Than Ever.

by Noel_Bee



Category: Camp Camp (Web Series)
Genre: Daniel is a ho, David is cinnamon roll, HELLP, How Do I Tag, Local Cult Leader Snatched By Camp Man From Hospital AU, M/M, Probably Danvid, RUnning from thE COPS SUCKER, Strong Language, and probably doesnt know how to feel at first, but not at space kid, dadniel, ily dadniel w space kid but not in this fic, probably fluff, the daniel redemption arc absolutely nobody asked for
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-07
Updated: 2017-09-23
Packaged: 2018-12-12 10:11:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 7,318
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11734911
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Noel_Bee/pseuds/Noel_Bee
Summary: Daniel escapes from the hospital with a little help from an old pal.





	1. Aw, hell. Hospitals suck.

Daniel was moving. He was in a vehical. What was going on? There was a sickly burning and tingling in his stomach. Everything was hazy and going black every so often. He saw movement that wasn't from the vehicle and his eyes widened. Everything suddenly came back to him, and he tried to yell.  


"Hey! You! Let me out!" is what he thought he said. Instead, it came out as a very quiet "..eh..y- nnnn.." His words turned to a groan. Talking hurt. He tried to reach up to give SOME sort of signal, but his arm twitched, moved up, then back down. His vision started to get blurry. His mind was racing. Was it hot in here? It had to be. He was burning up. He couldn't breath. Something awful was in his mouth and he just COULDN'T spit it out. And suddenly, he couldn't think, just writhing in his place as heat filled his lungs and washed over his body. Soon, though, he drifted back asleep, thankfully.  


He woke up in a hospital bed a week later to a gentle voice speaking to him.  


'What's going on..' he thought. He tried to open his eyes, but they were very heavy. His head moved to the side a little. When his eyes did open, everything was blurry and bright. He squeezed his eyes shut immediately.  


The talking stopped. About 2 minutes later, he heard the door open and shut. He slowly opened his eyes again. OW. He squinted and looked around, thankful the blinds were drawn. Daniel soon saw the white and yellow flowers on the desk beside his bed, with a little note beside them. He weakly brought his arm up and grabbed the note with an oddly shaking hand and opened it.  


"Dear Daniel,  
I hope you get better soon! Doctors said you might be in here for a few weeks, so us at camp bought got you some flowers, to remind you of us!  


Love, David,"  


Daniel sighed and shook his head, placing the note back down.  


"Idiot.." he muttered, despite feeling his face burn.  


Mostly in anger. Why did that idiot think he could just.. come in here, and embarass him like that? Surely, it was to rub his victory in Daniel's face. Daniel groaned and shut his eyes again, clearing his mind. Now, how was he gonna get out of here?  


Daniel soon figured out that thinking too much really hurt his brain. He huffed and furrowed his brows. Deciding he should do something ELSE for now, he tried to sit up in his bed.  
WRONG. His eyes widened and he sucked in a breath and accidentally bonked his head on the wall as a wave of cold washed over his body. It felt like someone had poured ice water directly into his stomach, and accompanying the sick feeling sitting up had gave him, this wasn't a very good experience.  


He groaned and rubbed the back of his head, sighing and deciding to look around the room a little more. He was defintely in a hospital, as if he needed the confirmation. Under closer inspection, the desk beside him helf a few more bundle of flowers, and the desk even had petals on it from one or two that had died off.  


His eyes widened. He shook his head quickly and looked around a bit more. He was hooked up to a few machines, which surprisingly, scared him, and he looked at his arm. An IV was placed in his arm. He sighed and looked around for something he could write with, and soon found a pen in his bedside table. He marked a dot just above where the stupid tube entered his arm and put down the pen.  


He did some thing that i have no idea how to do, then hummed. Hopefully he did it right. He used two fingers to hold down the TUBE INSERTION MECHANISM in his arm and used his them to peel off the tape on his arm, making sure not to heck things up. When he got all the tape peeled off he very gently removed the head of the tube out of his arm.  


He inhaled through his nose and shut his eyes. Fuck.  


The door had opened.


	2. W h y

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> David what the HOOEY DUDE

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rip short chapter

That's when David decided to rear his stupid head back into Daniel's life. (And hospital room.) 

He paused when he saw Daniel sitting up, cocking his head. 

"Daniel? Are you.. awake?" He stepped forward. _'No. Go away. Please,' _he wanted to say. But his mouth wouldn't let him do it. He groaned and, secretly shifting the now taken-out IV so it looked like it was situated under his arm and still inserted, turned to face David.__

__"Yeah. I'm awake. Do you- _ACH." _He tensed when David launched forward and hugged him tight.___ _

___"Get off. Please, _" Daniel wheezed when David hadn't let go for probably two minutes straight, and it was really starting to hurt.__ _ _

___David grinned and pulled himself off, placing his hands on his hips. "I'm sorry, Daniel! I'm just so happy to see you awake, and not, well.."_ _ _

___"Dead?" Daniel finished. He left off the 'probably better off that way' part of the sentence._ _ _

___David cleared his throat, frowning for a moment. "Yeah, but it's great you're not. SO let's not talk about it!" Another perky smile. Daniel mentally rolled his eyes and layed back on his bed, crossing his arms._ _ _

___"Alright. So what do you need, matchstick?"_ _ _

___"Matchstick?" David questioned quietly to himself, before his eyes widened._ _ _

___"Daniel?" David's voice held worry, which made Daniel get tense again._ _ _

___"Yes, David?"_ _ _

___"Your IV is out." Daniel flailed and sat up again, grabbing the IV that had fallen from the spot on his arm he tried to keep it on. He slowly turned to David with a very loud neck crack and an eye twitch. David opened his mouth and sucked in a breath to talk, but Daniel mouthed " _Don't. _" and David shut his mouth with a gulp._____

___Daniel talked a little too loudly. "No, it's not, David! It's right here, _see? _" He said the last word through clenched teeth and squinting at David, hoping the idiot got the message.___ _ _

___Luckily, he did, and he nodded frantically. "Y-Yeah! I see, Daniel."_ _ _

___Daniel exhaled and sat back._ _ _

___"I'm going to say this one more time, David. What. DO. You. WANT."_ _ _

___"I came for my pen!"_ _ _

___..Daniel groaned. He turned and grabbed the pen that he had sat down on his bedside table, then turned back to David._ _ _

___"Here. Can you-" Daniel's arm was grabbed and he was pulled closer to David, who now had his face about 5 inches from his counterparts. His eyes were shining almost deviously, and he hesitated, as if waiting for Daniel to ask him._ _ _

___And, of course, he did. He furrowed his eyebrows and squinted. "What are you making that face for?"_ _ _

___In a frantic whisper, he said "I also came to rescue you!"___


	3. Satanic Screaming and David 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> even more Daniel and David dialogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall mind if i
> 
> *boogies to daniels scream set on a loop*

Daniel slowly picked up his pillow, put it over his face, and SCREAMED. David jumped, rushing forward and frantically waved his hands, not knowing what to do. Daniel stopped after a moment and calmly replaced his pillow. Inhale. Exhale.

"I _don't, need, 'saving',_ " Daniel said firmly.

"Well, of course ya do, silly!" David stood on his toes for a second. "It must suck bein' stuck in a hospital, and especially knowing you're prooooobably gonna be locked up after you get out of this place!" he said innocently.

Daniel twitched. "I can get out of this hellhole myself, Matchstick. I don't need someone to save me, especially _you_."

"Of course you can, but sometimes two people is a better team than one!" (A/N: THERES ONLY ONE BOTH OF US, DANIEL.)

Daniel rolled his eyes, physically this time, sinking down into his hospital bed and wishing David and his whole stupid camp would disappear.

"And where are you going to take me, anyway?" the question he didn't knew he had tumbled out of Daniel's mouth. He mentally ugh'd at himself and crossed his arms.

"Well, I was hoping I could take you back to camp! I mean, the police and government usually ignore us there anyway.." David trailed off, biting at his lip nervously, as if Daniel's words alone caused him to think twice.

What a weenie.

Daniel actually thought about it for a moment, and it didn't seem like such a bad idea. Then he realized WHERE he was going and now it seemed like such a worse idea than he anticipated. But.. it was better than being taken in, right?

Daniel was caught up in his head for a moment, having a mental arguement with himself, making weird hand motions in the air. It took him a while to realize David was staring at him. He quit yelling at himself mentally and scowled at him, face starting to burn again.

"What, Matchstick?" he spat, sticking his lower lip out in an angry pout.

David put his hand over his mouth to suppress a giggle. "I'm just waiting for you answer, that's all!"

"Answer?" Daniel raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah! Do you want my help and a safe place to stay, _ooooooor_ -" David added a little head wiggle to the 'or'- "Do you want to wander the alleyways in a hospital gown, running from the cops?"

David's smile and tone was way too innocent to mean he actually meant bad by those words. Daniel sighed, wiping his face and staring up at the ceiling.

Honestly? He didn't know anymore...


	4. Amnesia

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel does some reflecting on the past month.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall i wrote all night for this

"Weeeeeell..?" David leaned forward on his toes, eyes glistening with anticipation.

Daniel huffed through his nose, rolling his eyes at David. "..Listen. Do you even know how you're gonna get me out?"

At those words, David's face dropped into an almost comical frown, his eyes wide and eyebrows raised. "Oh.. I hadn't thought about that."

Daniel sighed. "OK, why don't you go home and think about it tonight, and I'll think about my decision. Come visit me tomorrow and we'll discuss it," he said, still not believing that he was going along with this.

"Sure will!" And just like that, David's perky expression returned and he stepped toward the door. "Campe Diem, Daniel!" he said, before out he went.

Did he really want this? No. Did he really need this? Probably. He sighed.

'Look. I'll take up his offer, but I won't ever leave my room. I'll stay inside until lights out, when I can walk freely,' he bargained with himself.

'Do I really want to be around all those.. those _brats_? They'll surely kill me in my sleep if the counselors don't. None of them will trust me.'

Daniels eyes widened. 'Since when do I care about trust?'

'I don't.'

'THEN SHUT UP ABOUT IT.' He winced. He's arguing with himself again, he realized, so he decided to quit now and try to sleep. Luckily, the pain in his stomach had died down a lot, and few minutes later he was out.

When he woke up, Daniel felt horrible. The IV must've had something that reduced the pain, because he felt way worse than he did yesterday. But, he had to stick it through. Daniel rolled onto his back and sat up. He felt stiff. His muscles felt worn out. Daniel looked at the IV that was still laying unused on his bed. He looked at his arm, then slowly stood up and out of his bed.

When the blanket fell off him and his bare feet touched the ground, a huge shudder ripped though his body. The floor was as cold as ice and his hospital dress was paper thin. Along with that, the air conditioner was shooting directly on him, and he had practically nothing on under the robe.

Why does the world hate him.

Actually, he probably deserves this.

Daniel grumbled like a grumpy old man and moved out of the direct shot of the AC, then continued to rummage around the hospital room for tape that wasn't transparent. When he found some, he shuffled over to the closet that was in the room and opened it, and pulled out two spare, fluffy blankets. He probably didn't have the authorization to do this, but to heck with this hospital. He dragged himself back to his bed and flopped straight down, curling up tight under his pile of now-three blankets. Shiver.

' _This is the real definition of suffering._ '

After accidentally taking a short nap, he woke up to a very nice warmth under his blankets that had built up, which he was very content about. Better than feeling like an ice cube. He pulled the blankets over his head and sat with his feet together, picking up the IV and putting it where he marked the day prior on his arm. Danny then picked up the tap and taped it down, putting multiple layers of tape so nobody could tell it wasn't actually in his arm.

Daniel smiled at his work. This was good enough. Okay, time for food.

He poked his head out from under the blankets and sifted through his bedside table drawers, finding an extra pair of socks and pulling them on. He slipped out of bed carefully, quickly pulling his biggest blanket over his shoulders as an AC shield. It worked, mostly, but the cold air kicked up and blew over his face and tussled his hair, which made him make a sort of growling noise in annoyance. He made his way slowly to the door, pulling along his disconnected IV.

Right when he got to the door, it opened, revealing a woman with a black bob and red pointed reading glasses. The nurse paused when seeing him, then smiled.

"Oh, Daniel! It's wonderful to see you awake. Are you feeling alright?"

Daniel stared blank-faced for a few seconds, before he put on his wide grin and shiny-eyes look. "Well, I'm feeling just fine, miss! Thank you for asking. Do you know the way to the cafeteria?" His head fell to the side.

She smiled, clearly enjoying his perkiness. "Patients aren't allowed to go to the cafeteria at this time, but I will bring you some food!" ..When his grin and silence grew too creepy for her, her eyes drifted her clipboard, and she quickly added, "Second floor, straight down the hall. Though, you should please be careful when eating. Your stomach is still very sensitive from the poison, and you might throw up. Also, I'm sorry, but I don't think you're allowed to take the blankets out of the-"

His bright blue eyes quickly narrowed and his head snapped to the other side, a loud _CRACK_ joining it and cutting her off. Her pupils got small and her shoulders got tense.

"I-I see! Well, I-I suppose it wouldn't hurt anything.." she shrunk under his gaze, her eyes darting away. "B-But you didn't hear that from me."

Daniel's expression went back to 'normal'. "Aw, thank you so much! I'll make sure to pay you back, Darby."

She sputtered and looked down at her shirt. She didn't have her name tag on.

Daniel was already out the door, grinning to himself. Of course, he had found her name tag in one of his drawers. She must have accidentally left it there while he was asleep.

Danny appreciated the silence of the hospital at this hour. He dragged his IV into the elevator and pressed the 2 button. Everything seemed to be moving boringly slow, but Daniel surprisingly didn't mind. He was still sort of floaty and tired, his body in auto-drive. Some of the haze had cleared, though, and that allowed him to think.

Daniel squinted as he tried to remember why he went to the stupid camp in the first place, and why he assumed everyone was going to hate him. His eyes widened. He legitimately could not remember. He remembered showing up for the job, meeting David, Gwen leaving, and Daniel trying to help the campers with.. something.. An image of David holding a guitar flashed across his mind, and the disgusting taste of the Kool-Aid mixed with rat poison. Thinking about it hurt his head, his throat burn, and gave him a sense of dread. Large chunks of the time he was there was missing from his memory. He started to feel scared.

Daniel decided to shift his attention to the few days he had been awake. He realized he really had been acting off. It would usually be rare for him to feel anything but happy, but in his time in the hospital he had mostly only felt annoyed, angry, or even fear every once in a while. This genuinely surprised him.

What happened?

He shook his head as the elevator started to close on him. His hand shot out to stop it, and he quickly stepped out. A big sign that said "CAFETERIA" pointed directly in front of him down the hall, and he started toward it, making quick strides.

' _Thank GOODNESS. Food._ ' Daniel was soon inhaling as many whole-wheat grilled cheeses he could in an empty food hall. (A/N: yall ive never seen daniel more relatable)

After he was satisfied, he stood up and sluggishly pulled himself back to the elevator. He noticed that a lot of people were shuffling around the hospital, and realized it must be visiting time. He stepped into the elevator after a bunch of people had emptied out. He hadn't noticed the four people standing next to him until he felt one of them staring. He snapped his attention to the guy beside him.

His eyes widened.

"Oh, David," he muttered. "Didn't expect you to arrive this early." Daniel exhaled. He thought he'd have a few hours before David came to see him. Daniel's eye drifted down as David started to ramble, and he squinted. Beside him were three children. One wearing a turtle neck with curly hair who was glancing around nervously, one with bright teal hair who was walking in place and whispering excitedly to him, and one with a blue hoodie and black poofy hair, who he realized was squinting at him back. The struck some nerve inside Daniel. Though, he didn't know why.

His attention went back to David when he had leaned forward and whispered, "..but now I have a plan!" and clapped excitedly. This guy really is a big child.

Daniel cocked his head. "What is it?"

David's eyes shined. "Shh. You'll see."


	5. David

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How David spent that night.

David turned the key in his car, worrying at his lip. Daniel's question sure had got to him. How WAS he going to get him out? The car rumbled to life and he backed out of the Sleepy Peaks Hospital onto the road.

When he pulled up to the camp, it was already dark. Gwen had probably already called lights out, so he didn't have to worry about that. He walked quickly to the Staff cabin and went into his room, quickly changing into his pajamas and slipping into bed.

..He stared at the ceiling. His mind was racing. He definitely was not going to sleep soon.

Suddenly, a thought struck him. Oh, yeah. This was gonna be good.

When morning came, he woke up early, excited for his plan. He quickly raced to Gwen's room, waking her up.

"Gooood morning, Gwen! I'm going back to the hospital today, so you might have to take care of the campers again."

Gwen propped herself up slightly, murmured something unintelligable, then shoved her face into her pillow.

"Thanks, Gwen! I know I can count on you," David beamed, before racing off to wake the other campers. As he did, he pulled aside Neil and Nikki. When he got them alone, he kneeled down.

"Hey, kids! I'm going to the hospital later, and I'm going to need your help with something. It's pretty big. Think you can handle it?"

"Ooh! A hospital adventure! Whaddo I gotta do?" Nikki shook her head like an excited dog. Neil crossed his arms and leaned forward. "What's in it for me?"

David smiled. "A week's worth of pudding, and-"

"DEAL!" Nikki cut him off, slapping her hand over Neil's mouth when he tried to protest.

David chuckled. "Great! We better get going, then. I'll tell you what you need to know in the car."

As chipper as he seemed, David was pretty nervous. He's never done anything this big before, let alone anything illegal! As the group approached the car, David heard a voice yelling at him and he turned around.

"Hey! What do you idiots think you're doing?" Max approached them.

"We're heading out to the hospital, Max! We're gonna break someone out!" Nikki blurted excitedly.

"..David, you're leading a fucking _hospital heist_? Ohoho, this is gonna be goddamn _precious_. You gotta let me go, David. I gotta watch this fucking crumble."

David thought it over. "I guess.. I guess Nikki will need some help. Alright, I'll let you come. But you can't tell anybody, Max!"

"Not. On my fucking. _Life_."

The group piled into the car and they made their way to the hospital, David spouting off their roles to the group.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yall im not stalling i swear


	6. The Breakout

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> everything in the chapter is probably innacurate

By the time Daniel had returned to his room, David had set off to put his plan in action. The first part was to get Neil where he needed to be. David picked up Neil like he was his own child, which Neil very loudly protested. They then approached a doctor and asked her where the security room was, explaining that Neil had always wanted to work in one, and that he was just a little boy and wouldn't stop pestering until he asked.

"Come on, sir. Please? He's just a ten year old, what harm could he do?" David pleaded.

The doctor, obviously, said no at first, but after David and Neil had followed her around for a little without letting up, she gave them the directions and off they went.

All the while, Nikki and Max searched for the power station to the hospital, and surprisingly found it pretty quickly. Max approached the security guard with his hood up and his hair flat on his face so he couldn't see much. He cleared his throat, and the guard looked down at him.

"Yeah, kid? Whaddya need?"

"You mind if I step in here for a second, mister?" Max tried to say as innocently as he could, but that wasn't very innocent.

"..Listen, kid. Bug off back to ya' parents. Don't need to insects crawlin' around the power station."

Max tilted his head. "Are you sure about that?" he tested.

The man started to grab his walkie talkie, but froze when Max started to talk again.

"Nikki?" he called loudly. " _Sic._ "

Nikki bounded down the hallway on all fours, yelling the word " _BARK_ " over and over again. She launched up and latched onto his wrist, enough pressure in the bite to hurt but not enough to make him bleed, hopefully. The man yowled in pain and tried to swat her off, but she crawled around his body like a centipede. In the confusion, Max had grabbed his keys and slipped inside the room, closing the door behind him and locking it.

Meanwhile, David was waiting outside the security room while Neil sat with the guard.

"Do you mind if I look at it all closer mister? My dad was a security guard, so I probably know what a lot of this stuff is," Neil lied. The security guard shrugged.

"Go ahead, kid. Just don't touch-" the guard's beady eyes widened as all of the multitude of screens shut off in a matter of seconds. Neil grinned at his work. Beginner's work, easy.

"Oh, no! The cameras all shut down? I didn't even touch anything!"

That was the signal. David whispered into an earpiece Neil had made previously out of cheap parts he could find in town. "Now, Max!"

Max looked up at the master control system, then jumped up and swatted at the switch labelled "Lights Main", but couldn't reach it. He frowned, then tried again. A third time, and he grabbed the switch and pulled. Darkness filled the halls of the hospital.

Daniel shrieked in his room, then slapped a hand over his mouth. What the hell.

David burst into his room, Neil behind him holding a flashlight. Max and Nikki were already on their way outside to the car. Chaos was happening within the hospital.

David pushed all of that out of his mind and stumbled forward, picking Daniel up into his arms and turning to run, Neil close behind illuminating the way. Daniel was.. confused. Shocked. Kind of dazed. He clung to David for life, staring in front of him like a deer in headlights.

David, on the other hand, was terrified and ecstatic at the same time. It was working! ..It was working. David and Neil took the stairs 3 at a time, quickly making it to the ground floor and rushing out the door before anybody could stop them. Once they got in the car, they were out. As they drove away, they watched the lights to the hospital turn back on.

Considering what they just did, David STILL managed to stay the speed limit.

Max crossed his arms. "Wow, David. I'm surprised! I expected that to fall apart instantly."

"That! Was so! COOL!" Nikki gushed, before quickly adding, "I think that guy's skin is still in my teeth.."

"Yeah, you guys didn't have to barrel down four flights of stairs.." Neil wheezed.

..Daniel stayed silent. He was in shock. His eye twitched as he looked around, eventually letting his eyes settle on the floor of the car. Nikki leaned over to Max, staring at Daniel as she whispered, "Whaddya think he has on under there?"

Max squinted at her. "Don't make me think about that, Nik."

This was going to be a long ride.


	7. Car Rides & Blinded By Fashion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nikki is an excited pupper and Daniel Dies (tm)

Just like he thought, it was the worst car ride of the year.

"Hey! Hey, Daniel! What's it feel like to be poisoned? Like, _for REAL_ poisoned?" Nikki bounced in her seat, poking at him and gnawing his arm to get his attention.

"Sucks."

"Did it hurt? Did you throw up? Did your _stomach melt?_ "

Daniel grumbled.

"Nikki, I'm sure he doesn't want to answer questions right now. You can ask him later when he gets settled in!" David chimed. Nikki crossed her arms and sat down, whining at him.

"..So, David," Max started to prod after about 4 minutes of silence. "in what goddamn universe did you think it was a good idea to bust out a crazy cult murderer?"

David grinned. "Max, everybody deserves a second chance! Even if he wasn't a decent person, he can still start a new life at the camp."

Max squinted. "Yeah, OK. Just don't be surprised when you wake up and everyone in the camp is fucking DEAD."

"You'll see, Max. Everyone can be a good person if they try and apply themselves!"

Daniel squinted at him in the rear view mirror. He felt confused, uncomfortable, and very much annoyed.

When they arrived at camp, everybody in the car was silent. They all sat there for a while, before David cleared his throat and checked his watch.

"Well, campers! It's time for lunch, so you three should go find Gwen and the others while I get Daniel settled down into camp!"

The kids all groaned, sounding like, well, whiny kids, before opening the doors and stepping out. When they all started to walk away, Daniel got out, too, closing his door and waiting for David. The counselor quickly stepped out of the car, and started toward the Staff Cabin.

"I'm so excited for you to be staying with us, Daniel! You have SO much potential, especially here at Camp Campbell!" David started to ramble. Daniel's straightened and tensed when David's hand slapped on his back. His face did that grumpy old man thing again, and he grumbled something like "yeah, yeah, sure."

His mind was elsewhere, though.

The first thing David did was get Daniel some new clothes. Though he still had Daniel's suitcase from his last visit, David decided not to tell him that and just get him a traditional camp outfit: A green Camp Campbell T-Shirt with the pine tree symbol, and a random pair of shorts.

Although it felt nice to wear actual clothes, Daniel decided then and there he did not look good in shorts. If he stayed at the stupid camp, he at least didn't want to look like an idiot. David hummed, then held up a finger and slipped away.

It was about 30 minutes later when he came back. Daniel was VERY annoyed by this fact, but kept his mouth shut when he saw what he held draped over his arm. Lots of white.

David first held up a shirt. It was one of Daniel's white, short-sleeved button ups, and it seemed pretty normal, except the Camp Campbell pine tree in the form of an iron-on patch was on one of the pockets.

Daniel squinted at it. David grinned. It wasn't a bad response, necessarily!

David then held up a pure white pair of.. shorts. Not just ANY shorts, however. These shorts represented the short shorts that Gwen often wore. Daniel screamed and stood up, stomping over and snatching away the shorts.

"WHATTHEFUCKISTHIS," Daniel yelled directly in his face.

David put his hand on his chest and gave Daniel a very feminine gasp. " _Language_ , Daniel!" It's sad that that whole thing was serious. "I just made you some shorts! Why are you so angry? Do you not like them?"

Daniel inhaled, then grumbled "Give me that," as he took the rest of the clothes from David and pushed him out of the room.

...He put on the shirt. It wasn't TOO bad. ..His eyes drifted to the shorts, and he grumbled, pulling them on. He hated to admit that they didn't look bad. He shook his head and peeled them off, pulling on his regular white skinny jeans and tucking in his shirt, then he pulled on the beige work boots David had gotten him and opened the door with the rest of the clothes in his arms.

"Where am I staying?"

David was confused for a second at his question, before his eyes widened and he stepped past Daniel. "In here with me, of course! I set up a bunk bed and everything!" he exclaimed.

Daniel groaned loudly, but accepted his fate. "Alright. How early do you wake the campers?"

"6:30 A.M. sharp!"

"Yeah. Right. Wake me up then and I'll dropkick you across the lake, Matchstick."

David blinked. "Hey! Violence is not the answer, Daniel. Rude."

Daniel rolled his eyes, then flopped face-first onto the bed. It was only 3 minutes before he was snoring. David stared at him for a second, kind of concerned, before slowly going out to join the campers in their afternoon activities.


	8. Drifting Through Space

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daniel doesn't want to sleep anymore.  
> (another painfully short chapter :( sorry)

When Daniel woke up, it was pitch black outside and in the room. Soft snores above him suggested that David slept on the top bunk since he took the bottom. Daniel squinted around.

He really was night blind.

He stood up and shuffled to the door. Daniel pulled on his boots and started to walk outside. He quietly closed the door, then started to roam.

Daniel tried to deny the fact he was tired, but he really couldn't. Albeit, he wanted to go outside and walk. He glanced up at the sky, staring at the stars while he walked. Something about it urked him. It was eerie, but they were pretty.

He heard a rustle behind him and a little kids voice say, "Howdy! Are you Daniel?"

Daniel swiveled his head to look a who the voice belonged to before a loud _THUNK_ rang through the night. He ran into a tree.

Daniel stumbled back, landing on his butt and grumbling, rubbing his face. He really was still tired, wasn't he..? He slowly stood up and turned around, squinting around in the darkness before his eyes landed on a kid standing about 10 feet away from him. He had a fishbowl on his head and wore his underwear on the outside.

"..Uh.. Yeah."

"Cool!" ..The kid cocked his head. "Why are you out so late?"

Daniel's eyes widened. "..What time is it?"

"It's almost 1:00 A.M."

Daniel inhaled sharply. "One A.M..." .. "Why are you out here, kid?"

"I came to look at the stars!" the kid said excitedly, before sitting down on his butt and looking up. The way he paused suggested that he wanted Daniel to come sit by him. He didn't complain, just walked over and sat a few feet away from the kid.

He immediately started to point out constellations. The kid really felt comfortable around Daniel, and that made Daniel.. nervous? Whatever he did last time must have been pretty bad.

He really did not want to hurt this kid. He was too innocent.

"You signed up for Space Camp?" Daniel mused.

Space Kid nodded. "Yeah! I'm supposed to go to space," he said a little bit cocky.

"..Huh. ..It's getting late, kid. We should both probably head to bed.." Daniel muttered, before standing up with a MANLY GRUNT and brushing the grass off of him.

"Thanks for sitting out here with me, Daniel. Nobody is usually up this early!" the kid stepped forward and hugged his leg before running off to his tent.

Daniel frowned and stood there. The kid really trusted him. It made him feel uneasy. He shook his head and sighed, starting back toward the staff cabin to get some well deserved rest.

When he got there, David was still asleep. Which was.. good? He climbed back into the bed after kicking off his shoes, rolling onto his sides and closing his eyes. Sitting in the dark like that felt like he was drifting through eternity. It didn't feel too good. He rolled onto his back and stared at the bunk above him.

' _Why did he bring me here?_ ' Daniel couldn't stop thinking.

Suddenly, a wave off thoughts burst into his mind, covering every inch of anything he could be thinking about. The intrusive thoughts were loud, so loud he thought for a moment that they weren't even in his head. His hands shot up and he held his ears.

' _You are safe. You are happy. You will follow the Church and all it stands for. You are safe. You are happy. You **will** follow the Church._ '

Over and over. That emotionless voice blasted in his mind. He started to sweat. He barely noticed himself standing up and stumbling around. A sharp burn went through his shoulder. He had slammed into the wall. His lungs felt like they were filled with cotton. He was sweating bullets. His eyes burned with tears that he didn't notice. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, couldn't _breath_.

"Daniel?" David's drowsy voice cut through the others like a newly sharpened blade. Suddenly, everything was painfully quiet.

"Daniel, a-are you alright?"


	9. Again, Again, Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A brand new day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry if this chpter seems a bit rushed, i lost what i had when i started writing and had to redo it :'/

David stared at Daniel, cocking his head a little.

"A-Are you.. Are you OK?" he repeated, his voice still heavy from drowsiness.

Daniel stared at him, quaking hard. David frowned and stepped forward.

"D...Daniel?"

Dan slowly pulled his hands from his ears, then wiped his face. Tears had been streaming down his face, but he hadn't noticed them. His legs didn't seem to work when he tried to walk to David, and he just stumbled forward. David caught him and led him toward the bed. "I-I'll go get you some water.." David sat him gently on the bed before leaving the room quickly. Before Daniel could react too much, he came back with a glass water and handed it to him.

He tipped his head back and started to chug it.

"Daniel, slow down! I don't want you to choke!"

As if on cue, Daniel launched into a coughing fit, choking on the water. David rolled his eyes and patted his back firmly. Daniel only whined when he was done. The redhead put his hand on Daniel's shoulder, which he leaned into.

What the heck is going on... David didn't really care. He grinned, scratching his hair. Daniel leaned into his hand a little, his mind blank other than the words "Tired" and "Touch".

Eventually, David started falling asleep sitting up. He pulled his hand away. Daniel leaned toward it a little, before catching himself and sitting up.

"We should get some sleep, Daniel. You have a big day tomorrow..!" David said, trying to sound enthusiastic, but the yawn that punctuated the sentence said otherwise. He stood up, ruffling Daniel's hair and climbing up to the top bunk again.

This time, when Daniel laid down to sleep, he was out in an instant.

Daniel woke up the next day with a small headache. He sat up and groaned, then looked at the clock on the nightstand beside him. 11:34 A.M.

Huh. He glanced down at the piece of paper beside it, picking it up and opening it.

Written in bubbly handwriting on the page was: " _Hi, Daniel! I know you will probably be waking up a little late, so I included today's schedule below so you'll know where to find me! -David_ "

He rolled his eyes and checked under the words. David should probably be at the Mess Hall by now. He stands up and pulls on a clean shirt, eyeing over his wardrobe and pulling on his booty shorts, stepping out before he could change his mind.

Luckily, nobody was outside to see him.

He made his way to Mess, running a hand through his hair to detangle it and checking himself for dust or dirt, etc.

When he got there, he stopped in front of the door. He almost considered going back and just going back to sleep, but he pushed open the door and walked in any way.

Everybody stopped to stare at him. Daniel froze, his eyes slowly going to every kid in the room before they trailed up and spotted David. David's grin seemed to grow. He walked over to Daniel with long strides, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"Everyone, this is Daniel!" David said immediately. "You might remember him from the last time he visited the camp. Well, he's feeling better now, aren't you, Daniel?"

' _This was a mistake._ '

David turned back to the kids. "Of course he does! And he's going to be helping out with all the camp activities for the rest of the summer!" David exclaimed, standing on his toes excitedly.

A murmur rippled through the Mess Hall. Daniel glanced at David nervously. Gwen crossed her arms from across the room.

"See? They're all excited for you to be here!" David went on. "I know we're going to have fun with Daniel here. Now, everyone get to eating, and then we'll get on with our afternoon activities!"

Daniel sat at the table beside David, in the seat farthest from the campers. He poked at his potatoes and hummed, leaning his chin on his hand. His head started to hurt. He closed his eyes and set down his fork. Hmm..

David poked his side. "Daniel? Are you awake?" Daniel jumped, looking at David and squinting.

"Yes, I'm awake. What do you want?"

"I dunno, you were like that for 20 minutes, and I got a little worried!"

"20-" he choked on nothing, turning to David. "Did I fall asleep?"

"That's what I just asked you!"

Daniel groaned and bonked his head on the table.

During the afternoon activities, all the kids were quiet, and Daniel was positive that they usually weren't. They all glanced at him nervously, and none of them came to talk to him. All the kids did this, and even Gwen did. Well, Space Kid didn't, and the kid named Preston actually didn't seem to mind him, he just kept to himself and his friends.

The way the kids looked at him made his stomach and heart drop. He could tell they didn't trust him.

' ** _Since when do I care about trust?_** ' His thoughts from back at the hospital shot back at him. He shook his head. Of course, he doesn't care, but..

What did he even do that was so horrible?

Daniel was spaced out for the rest of activity period. After the long day, David eventually called for the campers to go back to their tents to get ready for bed. He then led Daniel back to the Staff cabin and took off his vest, glancing over to Daniel.

"I don't have any pajamas for you, but that's alright, right?"

Daniel rolled his eyes. "It's fine."

David smiled at him, before putting his hands on his hips. "Also, Daniel, I know you were tired yesterday, and that's fine, but today you have to sleep on the top bunk, got it?"

Daniel nodded, yawning. David stood there for a moment before stepping forward and hugging him. He shuddered, glancing away from him. He didn't notice it, but he was trying to get closer to David physically. David pulled him closer. They stayed like that for a while, before David broke away from him and started to crawl into bed.

"Goodnight, Daniel," David said in that quiet, tired voice.

Daniel didn't respond for a while as he crawled up the ladder onto his bunk of the bed.

"Goodnight, David."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ,,, ok daniel might be a little touch starved. oops.


	10. Journal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Another very short David and Daniel interraction

For the first few days, Daniel rarely came out of the room. David had to bring him his food. He could eat fine, but he really never wanted to. Every time he went to drink his water or milk or fruit punch, however, a strong grape taste mixed with something that made him cringe and spit lingered in his mouth. 

It lowered his appetite by a lot, and sometimes he had to step outside to vomit. God, he hated grape. 

On the third day, David came into the cabin around lunch time. Daniel thought nothing of it. It was about the time he brought his food everyday. Daniel gave him a wide- albeit fake- smile, taking the tray and waiting for him to leave. 

He groaned loudly when he realized he wasn't going to. David sat on the foot of his bed, pulling out his own Camp Campbell lunchbox- why does that exist? - and grinning at Daniel. 

"Shouldn't you be with the children?" Daniel said spitefully. 

David swallowed his bite and replied cherrily, "Gwen's got that covered!" 

Daniel blinked slowly at him. God, the Mess Hall must be hell by now. "..Al..right, so why are you here." 

"I wanted to eat with you!" 

"No shit. Why did you want to eat with me?" 

David lowered his sandwich, turning the question over in his mind. Daniel saw the sudden click in his eyes as he remembered. "Oh, yeah!! I came to give you this!" 

He pulled a leatherbound notebook seemingly out of nowhere, handing it to Daniel. On closer inspection, the blonde realized it had a pen poking out of the spine of it. He slowly took it and flipped it open. The inside was filled with parchment paper, not lined. 

He must have had a big question mark on his face, because David chimed in again, "It's to pass the time in here! I guess you don't really have anything to do in this dusty old cabin, so I decided to get that from town." 

Daniel slowly nodded. It couldn't hurt, could it? To be honest, he didn't really know what he was going to do with it. But he appreciated the gesture, probably. 

..The two sat there in silence for a while. Daniel shifted the food on his plate a little while David finished. The counselor then stood up, giving Daniel a chipper goodbye before leaving. Daniel shook his head and went to dump his food.


End file.
